Only a handful of days and nights stand between us and the famous fireworks that will show 2017 its exit and herald the arrival of 2018.
For many of us, the new year represents a blank slate and a chance at a fresh start to the pursuit of our goals and dreams—with health targets, travel destinations, and new hobbies among some of the things on our lists of to-do’s.
For others, a new year might mean a new office, or a new portfolio or career. And whenever we walk into a new workplace, the first thing that usually hits us is how it looks.
The “hip” workspace was once the domain of the startup. But now we’ve put together a list of corporates that have truly embraced that to build offices that just look pretty darn cool.
1. Time Dotcom
What They Do: Communications and connectivity.
Time Dotcom (or just Time to most Malaysians) is a telecommunications provider that connects homes and businesses with one of the most popular fibre optics networks in the country.
Based in Glenmarie Industrial Park, the Time office sticks with the hip office trend by adopting an open workspace complete with foosball tables, a shared resource centre, and a way cool metal slide near the front desk.
What’s Cool:
- Flexible working hours.
- A casual work environment.
2. Procter & Gamble
What They Do: Consumer goods (healthcare, skincare, cosmetics, etc).
Better known as P&G, the consumer goods giant has its hands in many industries including body care, home hygiene, and baby grooming. They own many of the brands we know and love such as Oral-B, SK-II, and Gillette.
Their Malaysian operations are based in Mutiara Damansara, and boast an office replete with an abundance of colourful furniture. They also have their own foosball tables, and their meeting rooms seem homely enough.
What’s Cool:
- A career-spanning training and development programme to help employees up their game.
- Flexible work hours.
- Employees can work from home one day a week.
- Employees may choose to buy P&G stocks using company subsidies.
- Car and housing loan interest subsidies.
- Employees can get their gym memberships and other medical expenses reimbursed.
3. Shell Business Operations
What They Do: Oil and gas.
The yellow Shell logo sat high on the periphery of many a Malaysian highway is an unfamiliar sight to no one, save only for those living under rocks their whole lives.
The corporate arm of the petroleum juggernaut focuses on the delivery of their operations both locally and globally, and covers a plethora of job scopes ranging from tax analysis to customer satisfaction.
Their office is located in Cyberjaya, and houses a ton of features including an employee gym, a beanbag-filled “inspiration hub”, a lounge complete with ping-pong and pool tables, and even their very own Shell Select mart.
What’s Cool:
- Medical coverage for employees and their families.
- Extra EPF contributions of up to 4% per employee.
- A wellness allowance for employees to purchase health and fitness equipment.
- Flexible work arrangements.
- A casual dress code.
4. Agoda
What They Do: Travel and accommodations.
With a strong presence in Asia, Agoda aims to become one of the best accommodation-booking platforms around. They boast a network of over one million accommodations worldwide, as well as a staff force of over 3,500 multinational professionals.
Agoda has offices in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore with many of them boasting a chill yet futuristic vibe.
What’s Cool:
- Subsidised parking rates for employees.
- Medical coverage.
- Opportunities for relocation globally.
- Discounted hotel rates worldwide.
- Four weeks of comprehensive paid training for new hires.
Editor’s Note: The photos above have been updated since publishing.
5. Bath+
What They Do: Designer bathroom fixtures and fittings.
Bathroom luxury is the at the heart of what Bath+ does. Designer toilets, cool looking bathtubs, and just overall awesome bathrooms are what makes this company tick.
Bath+ has its office in Kota Damansara and proudly boasts an interior that would make anyone feel at home, with ambient lighting and classy minimalist furniture making for an inviting work environment. Plus, you know each toilet break will be something to look forward to.
What’s Cool:
- Pet-friendly office.
6. Dentsu Aegis Network
What They Do: Digital marketing and advertising.
The Dentsu Aegis Network is a media, digital, and creative communication services group, with interests in sports-marketing and entertainment.
Home to various media brands such as Isobar, Carat, and Vizeum, the Dentsu Aegis Network spans globally with about 145 offices around the world employing over 30,000 staff.
Their office is situated in Damansara Heights and has all the trappings of a perfectly good modern office; warm and welcoming lounges, a well-stocked pantry, and cosy meeting areas are all part of the package.
What’s Cool:
- Smart casual work environment.
- Free and easy work arrangements.
7. Digi
What They Do: Telecommunications provider.
The Yellow Man, “I will follow you”. Sound familiar?
Having served up some of the most memorable ad campaigns from any Malaysian telco ever, Digi continues to be one of the most popular and prevalent companies in Malaysia; even to a point of them being a permanent part of Malaysian culture.
Also, their Shah Alam office is pretty hip, with the open area concept and flexible work arrangements making every work day feel like something fresh.
What’s Cool:
- Gym and sports facilities.
- Medical coverage.
- Six month maternity leaves.
8. Photobook Worldwide
What They Do: Custom photo albums and photo products (plushies, mugs, stationery, etc)
Specialising in personalisable photo albums and photo products, Photobook is on a journey to constantly innovate how pictures can be printed on things. Born in Malaysia, Photobook now has offices in Canada, Australia and the Philippines.
Located in Bangsar South, the company that likes to make good-looking things may as well also have a good-looking office. A free and open workspace, funky furnishings, and chill vibes make Photobook’s office a seriously cool destination for job-seekers.
What’s Cool:
- Fun after-work activities (badminton, bowling, movie nights, etc).
- Flexible work hours.
- Free parking.
- Medical benefits.
- On-demand coffee.
9. Booking.com
What They Do: Travel and accommodations.
With over 200 offices worldwide and a global staff of about 15,000, Booking.com claims to be the world’s number one accommodation site, with the aim to make the travel aspirations of millions worldwide become reality.
With their Malaysian office situated in Mid Valley City, Booking.com shoots for a relaxed and cheery environment with brightly lit spaces, and facilities to cater to the fun-loving.
What’s Cool:
- Medical insurance for employees.
- Free lunch daily.
- A diverse group of people.
- No official dress code.
10. The OG, Google
What They Do: Almost everything internet and tech-related. YouTube, GoogleMaps, Android, etc.
How could we not feature possibly the most well-known Internet corporation in the world? With an average of 3.5 billion searches going through their search engine daily, Google also does just about everything. Sat-nav, telecommunications, social media—you name it.
Located in the incredibly central KL Sentral, Google’s office oozes copious amounts of cool. Already known for having the hippest offices anywhere on the planet, Google’s Malaysian base of operations is the the dream destination for the modern-day professional.
What’s Cool:
- Arcade machines, bean bags, and way funky decorations to keep the creativity flowing.
- Free food and drinks all-day-long.
- Casual dress code.
- Four-month maternity leaves, and one-month paternity leaves.
- No fixed hours as long as work gets done.
- Employees get 20% of their work hours off to focus on personal projects.
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Feeling some envy about how cool these spaces look? Some are hiring.
Even if you don’t plan on switching just yet, you might be in one yourself soon.
The typical office space with all its cubicles, starchy dress codes and fixed work hours is slowly and surely becoming a thing of the past.
With companies striving to create better work environments to cater to the talent of the new era, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before all of us can enjoy three-day work weeks and 10-to-2 work days. As long as the work gets done, of course.
Feature Image Credit: Procter & Gamble on WOBB
